• November 10, 2020 Update 

    Dear T/E Families and Staff,

    As many of you may know, the number of cases of COVID-19 has been rising locally, statewide, and nationally. Today I write to share two important developments related to the pandemic and TESD’s instructional model. First, COVID-19 numbers reported last week by the Chester County Health Department (CCHD) were in the very high category and met the CCHD’s recommended threshold for virtual instruction. Second, the CCHD has updated its recommendations regarding how schools should use this data for determining the appropriate level of in-person instruction.

    Our staff and students have been very cooperative with following the health and safety standards delineated in our re-opening plan, and we would like to continue hybrid instruction for as long as it is safe to do so.  At the same time, the rising numbers make it prudent for the District to keep a close eye on the upward trend.

    Current Chester County Data

    For the week ending November 6, CCHD reported an incidence rate of 85.05 and a test positivity rate of 4.8% for Chester County.  This places Chester County in the very high category for the first week since Chester County schools began transitioning to full hybrid instruction on October 12.  You are able to view the CCHD COVID-19 data for the last four weeks on the Reopening Metrics page of the TESD website. 

    Updated Chester County Health Department Recommendations

    On Monday, November 9, CCHD modified its guidance related to when school districts should consider moving to an all virtual instructional model. The previous CCHD standards called for transitioning to virtual instruction with a countywide incidence rate of 80 cases per 100,000 people or a test positivity rate of 10% or higher for two consecutive weeks. The new CCHD guidance recommends transitioning to a more virtual model when levels are maintained in the very high category for three consecutive weeks.  According to the CCHD, at least three weeks are needed to see how incidence and positivity will trend, whether upward, downward, or stable.  The updated guidance also suggests that school districts may transition to virtual instruction in phases, beginning with students in older grades. 

    Since Chester County was in the very high category for the week of November 2, TESD will be closely monitoring the CCHD COVID-19 data over the next two weeks to determine if the thresholds call for a transition to a more virtual instructional model.  Unless there is an outbreak locally, or if the numbers of students and staff in quarantine make us unable to open our schools, the earliest possible date TESD may consider to begin transition back to virtual instruction will be Monday, November 23.  Because the revised CCHD recommendation about a phased transition was just published yesterday, we will provide updates to T/E families and staff in the coming weeks as our pandemic team develops details on a possible transition plan for our District.

    Communicating COVID-19 Cases with the School

    To help keep the school community informed about COVID-19 cases in our schools, TESD continues to update the COVID-19 dashboard to reflect confirmed, positive cases that have been reported to us. The dashboard reflects every single case the District has been made aware of that meets the criteria posted on the dashboard site.  In addition to consulting with your healthcare provider, please contact your child’s school nurse and principal if your child:

    • Is being tested for COVID-19
    • Displays symptoms of COVID-19
    • Is told by a health authority that they need to quarantine
    • Tests positive for COVID-19

    Parents may contact the school nurse if they have any questions related to COVID-19 and their children.

    School Break Travel Advisories 

    TESD recognizes that families may choose to travel during the upcoming school breaks. Currently, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) recommends that individuals quarantine for 14 days following travel to any state or country on the restricted travel lists. While these lists fluctuate, there are currently 34 states that are on the Pennsylvania Department of Health travel advisory list.  Please be aware that while the adjacent states of New Jersey, West Virginia and Ohio are not on Pennsylvania’s restricted list, the PDH highly discourages non-essential travel to theses states at this time.

    You can check the list of states and countries here: Restricted States  Countries  

    The TESD symptom screening form includes a question asking whether students have traveled to states on the PDH travel advisory list. Students who have traveled to these restricted areas will be required to attend school virtually while completing the recommended quarantine. 

    The District Pandemic Team would like to share additional travel guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the PDH for your consideration. 

    Center for Disease Control and Prevention Travel Information 

    Pennsylvania Department of Health Travel Information 

    TESD appreciates your ongoing support of our health and safety practices and health department guidelines. We all hope the trajectory of the pandemic bends toward keeping schools open for as long as possible. As a school community we will continue to work together to take collective steps to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. Each person in our school community can take individual actions, such as social distancing and masking, that will help keep our schools safe. We will communicate more information as we move into the holiday season.

    Sincerely,

    Dr. Richard Gusick
    Superintendent of Schools